Kenya · Infrastructure
Which equipment accounts for Kenya’s rising electronic waste?
Kenya recorded 55,956 tonnes of electronic waste generated in 2025, up from 46,211 tonnes in 2020. Small equipment accounted for 21,942 tonnes and grew more than any other reported category.
Sources checked
2025
Shared scale · 0 t to 21,942 t
2020
Shared scale · 0 t to 21,942 t
Switch years on a shared scale. The chart excludes the national total to show the mix of equipment classes.
Small equipment accounted for almost four tenths of the total
The small equipment category rose from 15,825 tonnes in 2020 to 21,942 in 2025, reaching 39.21% of the national total. It includes items such as microwaves, kettles, tools and small electrical appliances. Source 1
Cooling equipment was the second-largest category
Temperature exchange equipment reached 10,996 tonnes in 2025, compared with 10,022 in 2020. The category includes refrigerators, freezers and air conditioners. It was close to its 2024 figure of 11,003 tonnes. Source 1
Screens increased while lamp waste declined
Waste from screens and equipment with screens rose from 4,822 to 6,069 tonnes between 2020 and 2025. Lamps fell from 4,896 to 4,421 tonnes. Waste from small IT and telecom equipment, including phones and routers, went from 6,865 to 6,608 tonnes. Source 1
Generation and collection measure different quantities
This table measures generated waste in tonnes. It gives no collection, refurbishment or recycling rate, and does not identify where items were discarded. The figures can show the weight of different equipment streams, but not the number of devices or the actual load at a recycling site. Source 1 Source 2